The area of Pennsylvania that Thompson represents has given us all three forms of fossil fuels: coal, oil and natural gas. As such, we contributed to the rise of our modern society. But times have changed. Those who don’t change will be left in the dust, beholden to others who do “get it,” including China.

We cannot afford to have people like Thompson who can’t understand the changes that are happening in front of our eyes. We cannot afford to have people like Thompson who vote in lock-step with Donald Trump’s “Drill, baby, drill” vision of a polluted future.

There is a whole new renewable energy economy happening with increasing speed. Thompson’s continued support of yesterday’s energy is dooming the people from his own district from participating and taking advantage of it, of getting the jobs of the future.

The good news is that there are already more jobs in the renewable energy sectors than there are in coal, oil and gas combined--and this is just getting started.

Marc Friedenberg “gets it.” He understands the future that awaits. We need his leadership moving us forward. He is technology and clean- energy savvy and prefers to build our economy, not China’s.

Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday presented his 2018-19 budget proposal, a $33 billion plan that includes no increase in income and sales taxes, boosts basic education funding and keeps appropriations level for Penn State.

The fourth and final budget proposal of Wolf's first term is an increase of about $1 billion in spending, or 3 percent of the 2017-18 budget's $32 billion.